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Boulder County Public Health officials confirmed Tuesday that enough progress had been made in the efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus to allow the stay-at-home order to expire at midnight Friday. (Jeremy Papasso/Staff Photographer)

With public health officials believing progress has been made in the response to the coronavirus pandemic, Boulder County will transition to the statewide “safer-at-home” order starting Saturday.

Along with other counties in the Denver Metro region, Boulder County will allow the current extension of the state’s stay-at-home order to expire at midnight on May 8, according to a Tuesday news release from Boulder County Public Health. The order issued Monday requiring people to wear masks in public in most circumstances in the county will take effect Saturday.

Gov. Jared Polis’ statewide safer-at-home went into effect April 27. While it is more relaxed than stay-at-home, the order still requires residents to take major precautions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Under the order, residents are asked to continue to limit social interactions as much as possible, follow social distancing practices, wear a face mask in public and remain at home if they are vulnerable or at risk to serious complications from the disease, according to Boulder County’s website.

Chana Goussetis, the spokesperson for Boulder County Public Health, said the biggest difference between stay-at-home and the “safer-at-home” is that offices can allow up to 50% of staff to return to the building, though the preference is for people to continue to work at home if they can.

Since Sunday, one more person has died from the coronavirus, bringing Boulder County’s death toll to 44, according to Boulder County Public Health as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. Goussetis said the person was in their 100s and was a resident at a long-term care facility. Across the county, there have been 681 people who tested positive or who have likely contracted the virus; 132 people have been hospitalized; 267 people have recovered from the disease and 114 cases are under investigation, public health reported.

Across Colorado, there have been 903 deaths related to the coronavirus; 17,364 cases reported; 2,919 people hospitalized and close to 90,000 tested for the virus, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director, said he felt “comfortable” moving forward with the relaxed “safer-at-home” phase, given the county’s response to the pandemic.

“We’ve made progress on testing access (and) the addition of staff for contact tracing,” Zayach said in the release.

He add that “St. Anthony’s North Hospital surge facility will be complete in the event we need it, and we’ve worked closely with our business community to develop social distancing requirements.”

Hospitalizations in Boulder County have continued to remain stable, the release said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is providing free testing and personal protective equipment to local hospitals and clinics to conduct public testing clinics, according to the release. This has improved testing since the local extension of the stay-at-home order began on April 27, the release said.

Boulder County Public Health has also built up its disease investigation team. By Friday, staff numbers will have been expanded 10-fold and they are prepared to assist in COVID-19 disease tracking and contact tracing — tools health officials said will be vital to slowing the spread of the virus, the release said.

Contact tracing is part of communicable disease investigation and involves interviewing those who may have been exposed and providing guidance for that person to quarantine themselves or get tested, Goussetis said.

Local businesses have also been working with Boulder County Public Health staff to prepare for more activity while following safety protocols. Health officials have sought to assure that employers and employees have what they need to adhere to the statewide safer-at-home requirements in Boulder County beginning Saturday, the release said. Adherence to the requirements, along with wearing face coverings, will help to limit the spread and support local businesses so they can remain open, the release said.

With testing access improving, public health officials said they expect to see a continued increase in the number of residents who test positive for the coronavirus. With expanded testing, public health officials said there will be a better ability to identify who in the community has tested positive and stop further transmission of the disease, according to the release.

Goussetis urged residents to follow the “simple” but effective practices to prevent the spread of the disease, including staying home when sick, abiding by social distancing, washing hands regularly and covering their coughs.

Zayach thanked residents for their patience and understanding throughout the stay-at-home order in the release.

“I know this extension has been difficult for many people — it was an extremely difficult decision for me. But I’m pleased to report that because of the extension, we’ve made significant progress toward what we set out to do,” Zayach said in the release.

To learn more about “safer-at-home,” people are encouraged to visit the county’s website at boco.org/covid-19.